1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an improved container feeding device of the type which is used in a machine capable of cutting any one of numerous sizes of plastic bottles and/or metal cans into small pieces.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Recent legislation regulating the collection and disposition of disposable containers such as plastic bottles and metal cans in the soft drink industry has resulted in increased interest in machines that can be employed to reduce the size of the used containers to simplify handling and storage. Two recently devised machines have been primarily successful in satisfying these objectives.
The first of these machines is of a type which is intended to cut a large number of containers simultaneously and is disclosed in a patent application, U.S. Ser. No. 834,968, entitled "A Machine For Cutting Disposable Containers" and filed by John W. Wagner on Feb. 28, 1986 (a continuation application of U.S. Ser. No. 646,917 filed on Sept. 4, 1984). This machine is intended to be operated by operating personnel at a container collecting facility such as a grocery store or the like. For example, depending on the sizes of the plastic bottles, twenty to forty plastic bottles can be initially loaded in the upper loading section of the machine. When the top of the loading section is closed, the machine can be turned on to cause the bottles to be cut in a centrally located cutting section. The cutting section includes a pair of parallel shafts mounted for rotation in opposite directions with each shaft having a plurality of cutting wheels mounted for rotation thereon. The cutting section causes the containers to be cut into plastic strips or pieces which are then collected at a collecting section therebelow.
To insure that the containers are properly fed to the cutting section, the loading section includes a pair of paddles on a rotating shaft to generally agitate the bottles therein. The funnel shape of the loading section directs the bottles by gravity to a feeding assist device in the entrance opening of the cutting section. The feeding assist device includes a pair of parallel feeding shafts each of which has an array of three paddles thereon for advancing the containers to the cutting wheels to be gripped thereby prior to being specifically cut. With this machine, it is not essential that individual containers be fed and cut in any particular manner. The use of the agitator and feeding assist device is such that as the machine is being operated, all of the containers will eventually be cut. The operator will simply turn off the machine after he believes the last container has been properly cut in the cutting section. However, if one container is not properly oriented, it may be agitated upwardly and downwardly within the loading section or even rotate around with the feeding assist paddles several times prior to actually being cut. Additionally, if a single container or numerous containers which are simultaneously fed to the cutting section were to temporarily overload the cutting section, an automatic reversing device could cause the cutting shafts to rotate in the opposite direction temporarily to prevent the machine from becoming jammed. On the other hand, if after continued agitation or a machine reversal a particular container was still not properly fed for cutting, the machine operator would simply ignore the container and would cause it to be properly cut with the next load of containers placed in the loading section.
Another machine is employed to separately cut individual bottles as they are separately fed to a "reverse vending machine". A reverse vending machine is a machine which is being installed in grocery stores or the like for the customers to directly deposit plastic bottles or metal cans therein. At the same time the machine cuts the container into small pieces to decrease the overall volume of plastic or metal collected therein, the customer receives a token or other redemption of a deposit paid when the soft drink or other beverage is initially purchased. Such a machine is disclosed in patent application U.S. Ser. No. 742,999, filed on June 10, 1985 by Frank J. Lodovico and John W. Wagner and entitled "Method And Apparatus for Cutting Disposable Containers" (a continuation-in-part application of U.S. Ser. No. 646,917 filed Sept. 4, 1984 by John W. Wagner and entitled "A Machine For Cutting Disposable Containers"). Clearly, with such a machine it is essential that the containers can be continuously fed for cutting without any jamming or failure. In fact, to insure that a customer will not deposit a container in the machine prior to proper cutting of the immediately preceeding container, the machine includes sensing devices to determine that each container passes by the entrance for proper cutting in the cutting section. As a result, any failure or delay in cutting could cause complete loss of the machine to subsequent customers wishing to redeem containers until the machine is cleared by store personnel. While the machine of U.S. Ser. No. 742,999 has continued to properly cut all containers which are properly fed to the cutting section, there remains a need for insuring that all of the numerous sizes of plastic bottles or metal cans will be properly accepted and feed to the cutting section without jamming or delay.